what the hell happened to february?!?!?!

I'm pooped. Zio's pooped. Andrea's feeling great.

Zio and I are both in the midst of writing papers, which is grueling at the best of times. Combine that with taking care of our sweet beefik, and we both find ourselves with very little energy to spare. Hence the dearth of blog entries this month.

That, and I was gone for a week at the ARO midwinter meeting in the lovely Disneyland Hotel. I gave a talk and didn't faint. And I partied with my lab. A lot. I was impressed that I could still drink til 2, then hit the morning talks at 8. (The secret? Hangover breakfasts at Steakhouse 55)

Zio? He stayed at home, and was a single dad AND a grad student for a week. I left him a heart-shaped box of the nicest truffles I could find at Walgreens before I took off for my flight, but I think that was hardly fair compensation.

And Andrea? She's growing like a weed and cute as a button. Her vocabulary continues to expand, and she speaks in simple sentences now. Her favorite songs are "Old MacDonald", "ABC", and "Wheels on the Bus". She resists eating her veggies, and would have hot dogs for every meal if given the choice (we've taken to chopping her veggies finely and sneaking them in her other food). Andrea would prefer never getting her diaper changed, running around naked all the time, and and never having to go to bed. She has an appreciation for jewelry, loves to paint and count and sing and be outside, enjoys playing ball and jumping in mud puddles, and is one fierce little toddler.

And she loves hamming it up for the camera -



(Yeah - I know. It was taken before the last blog entry. That's how well we're doing this month)

This weekend - Zio's bliny. Too excited.